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The Penguin (DC Animated Universe)
The Penguin was a villain which was known for his bad habits, but also pushed a gentleman of crime. History The "Rambunctious Days" The Penguin, née Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, was a well educated and ingenious man who wanted to be refined and respected in the elite. He was also one of Batman's top foes in his prime. Unlike most of Batman's rogues gallery, Penguin is not insane, as he would be sent to Stonegate Penitentiary if found guilty of a certain crime, instead of Arkham Asylum where his "fellow rogues" went for rehabilitation. The Penguin was introduced in I've Got Batman In My Basement as a criminal that was overweight with a monocle and used an umbrella as a weapon much of the time. He hired two street thugs:Jay and Raven, to steal a beautiful and priceless Egg. His Buzzard also was a asset. Penguin was soon called after by Dr. Hugo Strange to attend a mysterious auction. Penguin (along with Two-Face and The Joker) arrived by plane to find a limo awaiting them to take them to Gotham Springs. When the Auction finally took place, it was revealed that the item was proof of Batman's secret identity. Penguin's initial bid was a million dollars, but after seeing Two-Face and Joker bickering, he had the idea to not fight but share the bidding. So the trio pitched money in to see Batman's identity. As Batman switched tapes, Penguin and the other two watched in anger as they watched a recording of Strange trying to cheat them out of money by making a fake tape (truth was Batman used Strange's machine to imagine Strange admitting to the scam and recorded it on tape and intercepted the signal to broadcast that instead of the Bruce Wayne tape). Penguin's own umbrella pistol destroyed the tape and the trio went after Strange in a high speed chase, but caught up with him at Gotham International Airport and took Strange off in his own plane to dispose of him. Batman tampered with the engine and the plane crashed. The Police blimp was at the ready overhead and Penguin, Joker, Two-Face, and Strange were taken into custody. Penguin later attempted to steal a pair of breeding condors from the Gotham Zoo. As he was about to break in, Batman showed up and knocked him to the ground. Penguin sprayed pollen on Batman (he claimed was a "wrong umbrella" but turned out it attracted his hummingbirds in which he doused their beaks with poison). After Batman foiled the hummingbirds, Penguin sent his Cassowary to rend him apart. Unfortunately, Batman took one of Penguin's poison-tipped hummingbirds and poisoned the Cassowary. Penguin was traumatized and flew away on his umbrella to escape the Dark Knight. He soon retreated to a night club and played cards with Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Killer Croc (who was Batman in disguise). After the group told stories of how they almost killed Batman (Penguin told about his most resent encounter), they were infuriated to know Croc was Batman all along but before they could do anything they were ambushed by police. Penguin was later out of prison and attempted to steal a priceless Audubon painting in a Gotham museum, but was crushed with a chandelier after trying to shoot down one of Batman's Batarangs in an escape attempt. He spent some time in jail and as he was released he was expecting a limo but instead was escorted in a trashy bus. Upon his arrival home he was expecting his friends (namely Joker, Two-Face, and Killer Croc) but instead was encountered by Batman. After telling Batman he was reformed (Batman was skeptical and warned him of his presence), Penguin got a call from Veronica Vreeland seconds following Batman's exit. On their first date, they were mugged, but as Penguin fended them off Batman came, trashed the muggers, and thought Penguin was behind it. Veronica defended Penguin and they left as Batman stood in optimism. Penguin and Veronica went to the opera and afterwards a party. He overheard her and Pierce talking about how they used him as a publicity attractor for their party. Penguin was furious and gassed them both. He kidnapped Veronica and flew away right as Bruce Wayne entered the balcony, vainly trying to rescue her. Later, Penguin demanded Pierce deliver the ransom. Peirce went to the delivery point in a condemned part of the city. Penguin called him by phone booth and instructed him to take one step out and start walking left. Pierce did as commanded and fell into the sewers via trap door. He was caught by Penguin's duck mobile and Penguin lead Pierce to his headquarters above his sewer lair (it led to the opera hall that they were at earlier), only to be taken hostage himself. Batman came in as Penguin was about to dispose of them, and Penguin retreated to a higher stage platform. He came back out in Viking gear and rode a giant metallic dragon. Penguin and Batman had a prevailing fight as the chandelier that held Veronica (and stopped Pierce) was loosening. Batman saved them in the nick of time and used a Batarang to clip the wires that held the dragon up and Penguin fell into the stage curtains. Penguin was taken by police soon after. Veronica talked to Penguin seconds before his escort to jail stating she was really growing found of him. He left stating high society was to blame. Awhile later, Penguin had his new henchmen Eagleton, Falcone and Sheldrake get the reversed Audubon artworks. Unbeknownst to him, they were chased by Batman. After they managed to get back to the sewer lair, Penguin was furious to discover that the paintings they stole weren't the reversed versions. After the failure he was about to have his new pet, Personal, poke out Eagleton's eyes if he couldn't come up with a good reason not to have that done. In this instance, Falcone got his friend he reunited with after the crash named Arnold Rundle. He gave them the plans for the Batmobile (for the Batmobile's engine was destroyed in the chase his men had with Batman and Robin). In payment for his services, Penguin had Arnold flushed down a sewer drain. After taking the plans, they infiltrated Earl Cooper's shop and tampered with the Batmobile he was working on repairing. After Batman retrieved it from a very suspicious Cooper (who was trying to play along with Penguin's plan in order to save his daughter), Penguin took control of the Batmobile as soon as the Batmobile got onto an interstate highway. He controlled it from his newly fixed limo. Right after he flew the Batmobile off the top of a parking garage he was horrified to find the Dynamic Duo right behind his limo on gliders. Eagleton drove into the airport flying dock, only to crash under a moving loading truck. As his limo lay in ruins and Eagleton and Sheldrake unconscious, Penguin came out with his hostage, Earl's daughter, at gun point. She stepped on his feet and with that he was about to shoot her when Robin came down and kicked him to the ground. Helpless, he was taken to Stonegate once more. Later as he was polishing the license plates at the prison he grabbed one that said "1BAT4U". He broke it in half out of anger. Later, he took control of a Wayne Tech test helicopter, the Raven X1-11, blinding Bruce Wayne (Batman) in the process. He kept it for ransom. He destroyed a city bridge to demonstrate his seriousness. Mayor Hill broadcast a message saying he would give into his money demand. It was a trap, and Batman threw a net around Penguin and Falcone as they retrieved their payment. They got out via Penguin's umbrella (he had a knife articulated at the point) and got back into The Raven and went after the Batwing. The Batwing ran The Raven down with spiked round casings. The Raven brought the Batwing down as well using its sonic lasers even while handicapped with flight. Batman ran helplessly into a nearby building (for when he escaped the exploding Batwing, his charge wire for his radar mask that helped him see ripped) as Penguin and Falcone (for Eagleton and Sheldrake were knocked unconscious) watched in amusement. After Batman beat Falcone, the charge that kept the mask he was using to see died leaving him helplessly blind. It didn't take long for Penguin to realize Batman was blind and he started to toy with him. Batman then ran blindly off an edge that was right above a pool of liquid magma but luckily got a hold of the top pipes. As Penguin laughed, Batman found a way to turn the pipes on with the water and magma mixture fogging up the room. Penguin started to cough uncontrollably. Batman followed the sound and ultimately swooped down on Penguin, and he was left for the police. Sometime later, he ordered a stuffed extinct penguin The Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) had available. They tried to get him interested in other stuffed creatures they stole from the Vreeland exhibit (in which Penguin had a feud with Veronica Vreeland a while earlier). He never got his penguin for Batman and Catwoman interfered with the Ventriloquist's plans. Penguin and Two-Face had an apparent fight and Two-Face stole a rare Avis from Penguin and double-crossed him. With this reasoning he was interrogated at Stonegate by Batman for Two-Face's kidnapping. Penguin insisted he was not to blame. Penguin then sicked his birds on Batman in a vain attempt to kill him, but Batman escaped leaving Penguin back in his cell. Penguin also stole plutonium from Wayne Tech's lab and threatened to blow up Gotham City. According to Batman, Penguin once tried to kidnap a famous singer (Zatanna recalls his first name "Ricky" but not his last) and Batman said he was on stake out, apparently watching to see when Penguin made his move. The "Legitimate Businessman" Penguin later opened Gotham's hottest Night Club, The Iceberg Lounge. He presented himself as reformed and a businessman, but after hours he did smuggling and other ruthless professions. He soon became overwhelmed about Joker's new found fortune. So Penguin threw him a party at his club, only for it to be overpowered by gunfire by King Barlowe 's right-hand bodyguard (who thought he deserved "The King"'s will money, not The Joker). As Nightwing and Batgirl came in and stopped the gun noise, Penguin lay in panic. Penguin soon found use for Roxy Rocket and had her steal some valuables. After she was putting his operations at risk, he attempted to do away with her. She prevailed and escaped as Penguin lay in horror. He then ordered his henchladies (Jay, Raven, and Lark ) to "clip her wings" before she told someone about his empire. As Penguin was set for bed at his skyscraper suite, Batman came in and asked about the location of Roxy. Penguin didn't come quietly and shot at Batman with a machine gun. Batman overwhelmed Penguin and hung him off over his balcony. Penguin gave in. When he saw three ladies fighting (Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Livewire) at a table in his lounge, he tried to cease the commotion. When Livewire called him "Lard Butt" he ordered them out. They rebelled and left his lounge smothered in Vines and thrones). Soon after, Supergirl and Batgirl interrogated him on were the trio of ladies were and Penguin was at first reluctant, but then gave in and told them he had a hunch they were at the old Gotham Zoo. Penguin was later interrogated by Superman (Disguised as Batman) on the whereabouts of The Mad Hatter (for Bruce Wayne went missing after mind control probes were found on his office phone). Only after "Batman" kicked a desk at Penguin did he comply. After he had a small dealing with Killer Croc and Two-Face, Penguin was encountered by The Judge. Penguin was horrified and was chased through his design studio. As his henchladies were tied up, he was alone. He was crushed by a giant penguin prop that the Judge set loose. He survived, but was enlisted in critical condition at the Hospital. Batwoman in the Belfry Penguin soon allied himself with Rupert Thorne to smuggle illegal weapons to Kaznia. As Batwoman interfered with one road shipment and his factory went up in a blaze, Penguin knew that their muscle, Carlton Duquesne, was out of his league. As Penguin and Thorne were discussing whom their new muscle would be, Batwoman sneaked into Penguin's file cabnet. The two caught her. But a fight was unleashed and Thorne agreed with Penguin they needed to bring someone better in as Batwoman escaped. While at his lounge, Penguin called up Bane, Bane agreed to meet him in Penguin's frequently used back entrance. As soon as Penguin got off the phone, Batwoman appeared and wrapped a metallic alloy around him. She squeezed and squeezed him until Penguin gave in and said "Bane" very mildly. It didn't take long for Penguin's henchladies and Batwoman to fight. Their fight got taken out into the lounge. Penguin shot motion-seeking missiles. As Penguin aimed the missile launching umbrella at Batwoman, Batman came in and Penguin was pushed to the ground. As Batwoman escaped, Batman was pushed into the lounges' center arctic pool. As Penguin shot homing missiles into the water, Batman set and detonated a bomb from inside the pool. It caused the lounge to flood. Penguin sat whipped in the face by one of his seals. Penguin, Thorne, and Duquesne met with Bane at an isolated warehouse, for Bane couldn't come to the lounge due to the previous incident. Penguin allowed him full control of the operation and showed him the ship and plans he was to be using. Later that night, as Penguin and Thorne played cards, they got a call to come to the ship. To their surprise, Bane found out who Batwoman was, Kathy Duquesne, Carlton Duquesne's daughter. Batman soon came in and another fight was unleashed. After Batman and Kathy escaped, Penguin and Thorne ran to Penguin's boat to retreat for the bomb Kathy had was missing. They ran into the other two Batwoman. As the ship exploded, Sonia was injured and Rocky went after the fleeing felons. She latched onto the boat and the sudden stop made Penguin and Thorne fly into the water. They were caught and Penguin, after years of being "reformed," was finally punished for his crimes and sent back to Stonegate with Thorne. Weaponry The Penguin had a large array of Umbrella weapons and flight tools and stand as his most recognizable trademark. His Umbrellas were controlled by an unseen button on the handle and could be deadly and / or deceiving. He was also known to carry a hidden machine gun hidden under an umbrella case for emergencies. At his warehouse he has his scientists create his custom umbrellas and test them on dummies of Batman. Umbrella Models and Accessories Rogues Gallery Encounters Penguin has either collaborated or met with much of Batman's rogues' gallery (along with a Superman rogues gallery member), including: *'The Joker' ("The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne"; "Almost Got 'Im"; "Batgirl Returns"; "Joker's Millions") *'Two-Face' ("The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne"; "Almost Got 'Im"; "Batgirl Returns"; "Judgment Day") *'Poison Ivy' ("Almost Got 'Im" ; "Girls Night Out") *'Killer Croc' ("Almost Got 'Im"; "Judgment Day") *'The Mad Hatter' ("Knight Time") *'The Riddler' ("Knight Time") *'The Ventriloquist & Scarface' ("Catwalk") *'Roxy Rocket' ("The Ultimate Thrill") *'Harley Quinn' ("Girls Night Out") *'Rupert Thorne' (Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman) *'Bane' ("Knight Time", Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman) *'Livewire' ("Girls Night Out") Trivia *Penguin was required to be based on the Batman Returns version of the character; when the revamped episodes entered production the creative team was able to use the character's classic appearance, which they had wanted to use from the beginning. *Penguin was the only character allowed to smoke, outside of the gangsters in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". See *The Penguin *The Penguin (The Batman) *The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) *The Penguin (Danny DeVito) Penguin